Donald Trump has directly threatened Spain with unleashing a trade war against the country, beyond the one already underway with the EU, and derailing its economy. From The Hague, and in the press conference following the NATO summit, he stated that it is"terrible" that Spain is the only country that does not want to reach 5% of its GDP for defense, and he announced that he will impose additional tariffs.
"Spain is terrible. They want to stay at 2%. I think it's terrible. And, as you know, they're doing very well. The economy is doing very well. And that economy could completely collapse if something bad happens. We're negotiating a trade agreement with Spain, and I'm going to make them pay double," the US president said when asked about Pedro Sánchez's position."And I mean it. I like Spain. I know a lot of people from Spain. It's a great place, and they're great people. But Spain is the only country that refuses to pay," Trump continued, who concluded this question by emphasizing that it is"unfair."
"I'll do it on my own, they're going to pay more," Trump continued when questioned again about Spain's position. The attack was vehement and came on the heels of warnings the US has issued in recent hours. Yesterday, for example, he stated from Air Force One that Spain is a"problem" due to its reluctance to invest in defense.
And today, his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, elaborated on that same line in an interview with Politico."It's a big problem. They claim they can achieve it with less, but Spain faces deep internal political challenges. They have a center-left government that basically wants to spend very little or nothing on Defense," he said.
But once it was confirmed that Sánchez does not want to increase spending further, that it will remain at 2% and that he is not at all considering reaching the 5% that all the other allies have agreed to, Trump has gone from warnings to threats. Possible trade war and direct economic attack.
Because the government hasn't just been"unfair" to the rest of the allies, a point that Trump probably cares about relatively little. The most important thing is that Sánchez has rejected a direct demand from the US president, a point that the NATO Secretary General addressed by devising the formula 3.5% + 1.5%. But Spain rejected that possibility from the outset, and here are the direct consequences for the US, to which must be added the anger of a good part of the allies.
Moncloa knew there was a risk
At the Moncloa Palace, they knew that the decision to make official within NATO their refusal to commit to 5% of GDP for defense opened up several scenarios. The Rutte team's willingness to negotiate was a relief for the presidential complex. Of all the possibilities, they were pursuing the best possible one. Before landing in The Hague, Sánchez's team didn't see a situation in which Trump would alter the joint declaration that had been agreed upon after a long period of negotiation. The US president, it's true, hasn't blown up the declaration, but from the beginning, he put Spain in the spotlight.
At a summit marked by tension, where most leaders had to answer questions about Spain's position, Sánchez avoided a direct clash with the US president. There was no greeting or meeting."Coincidence." In fact, Sánchez, unusually, was more distant from the other leaders than at other summits. But he did send messages.
On more than one occasion, he has argued that our country does not judge the position of other countries because"we respect their sovereignty"—"we have chosen a sovereign path that is respectful of our other allies"; "Spain is a sovereign country"—implying that some statements, especially those of US leaders, have not complied with that respect.
